Joshua | Page 8

on earth.
"Bless me too!" The pious entreaty, which wells so trustingly from the
human heart in the hour of anguish, had pierced his soul like a dagger.
It had seemed as if such a petition, uttered by the royal lips to such a
man, had broken the crozier in the hand of the whole body of Egyptian
priests, stripped the panther-skin from their shoulders, and branded
with shame the whole people whom he loved.
He knew full well that Moses was one of the wisest sages who had ever
graduated from the Egyptian schools, knew that Pharaoh was
completely under the thrall of this man who had grown up in the royal
household and been a friend of his father Rameses the Great. He had
seen the monarch pardon deeds committed by Moses which would have
cost the life of any other mortal, though he were the highest noble in
the land--and what must the Hebrew be to Pharaoh, the sun-god
incarnate on the throne of the world, when standing by the death-bed of
his own son, he could yield to the impulse to uplift his hands to him
and cry "Bless me too!"
He had told himself all these things, maturely considered them, yet he
would not yield to the might of the strangers. The destruction of this
man and all his race was in his eyes the holiest, most urgent duty--to
accomplish which he would not shrink even from assailing the throne.
Nay, in his eyes Pharaoh Menephtah's shameful entreaty: "Bless me
too!" had deprived him of all the rights of sovereignty.
Moses had murdered Pharaoh's first-born son, but he and the aged
chief- priest of Amon held the weal or woe of the dead prince's soul in
their hands,--a weapon sharp and strong, for he knew the monarch's
weak and vacillating heart. If the high-priest of Amon--the only man
whose authority surpassed his own--did not thwart him by some of the
unaccountable whims of age, it would be the merest trifle to force
Pharaoh to yield; but any concession made to-day would be withdrawn
to-morrow, should the Hebrew succeed in coming between the
irresolute monarch and his Egyptian advisers. This very day the
unworthy son of the great Rameses had covered his face and trembled
like a timid fawn at the bare mention of the sorcerer's name, and

to-morrow he might curse him and pronounce a death sentence upon
him. Perhaps he might be induced to do this, and on the following one
he would recall him and again sue for his blessing.
Down with such monarchs! Let the feeble reed on the throne be hurled
into the dust! Already he had chosen a successor from among the
princes of the blood, and when the time was ripe--when Rui, the
high-priest of Amon, had passed the limits of life decreed by the gods
to mortals and closed his eyes in death, he, Bai, would occupy his place,
a new life for Egypt, and Moses and his race would commence would
perish.
While the prophet was absorbed in these reflections a pair of ravens
fluttered around his head and, croaking loudly, alighted on the dusty
ruins of one of the shattered houses. He involuntarily glanced around
him and noted that they had perched on the corpse of a murdered
Hebrew, lying half concealed amid the rubbish. A smile which the
priests of lower rank who surrounded his litter knew not how to
interpret, flitted over his shrewd, defiant countenance.

CHAPTER III.
Hornecht, commander of the archers, was among the prophet's
companions. Indeed they were on terms of intimacy, for the soldier was
a leader amid the nobles who had conspired to dethrone Pharaoh.
As they approached Nun's ruined dwelling, the prophet pointed to the
wreck and said: "The former owner of this abode is the only Hebrew I
would gladly spare. He was a man of genuine worth, and his son,
Hosea. . . ."
"Will be one of us," the captain interrupted. "There are few better men
in Pharaoh's army, and," he added, lowering his voice, "I rely on him
when the decisive hour comes."
"We will discuss that before fewer witnesses," replied Bai. "But I am

greatly indebted to him. During the Libyan war--you are aware of the
fact--I fell into the hands of the enemy, and Hosea, at the head of his
little troop, rescued me from the savage hordes." Sinking his tones, he
went on in his most instructive manner, as though apologizing for the
mischief wrought: "Such is the course of earthly affairs! Where a whole
body of men merit punishment, the innocent must suffer with the guilty.
Under such circumstances the gods themselves cannot separate the
individual from the multitude; nay, even the innocent animals share the
penalty. Look at the flocks